Narayana Mayadev

Narayana Mayadev (1901-1983) was the Premier of the Cocos Islands from 1945 to 11 September 1949, preceding Ghamid Bahir. He was the Cocos Liberals leader at the same time.

Biography
Narayana Mayadev was born on the Cocos Islands in 1901 to a Hindu Indian family, and he belonged to a middle-class family of fish merchants. Mayadev attracted investment from mainland Australia and turned his family's fishing business into a major industry employing the use of trawlers and more advanced vessels. Mayadev became a leader in the business community on the islands, and, in 1945, he was elected Premier of the Cocos Islands as the Cocos Liberals candidate. Mayadev presided over the small devolved Cocos Parliament, and he supported statehood for the islands. He supported large fishing businesses against tariffs, supported occasional government intervention in the economy to promote more economic equality, and supported the equality of all faiths on the islands. In 1949, he was defeated for re-election by Cocos Labor Party candidate Ghamid Bahir, and he returned to his fishing industry.